TEXARKANA – The U.S. Department of Justice is asking federal judges around the country to dismiss lawsuits it says are brought by shell companies that misrepresent their true purposes - filing meritless litigation against health care companies.

AUSTIN – For the past year, numerous Texas counties pursuing opioid litigation against pharmaceutical giants have been subject to open records requests. The requests have sought a wide-range of information, including attorney solicitation emails, contract details with outside counsel and, in some cases, even time and expense records.

SAN ANTONIO – Although he lost in the Democratic Primary last month, Bexar County District Attorney Nico LaHood had his campaign bolstered with $110,000 in contributions from lawyers he hired to represent the county in an opioid lawsuit.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Legal Newsline) – Perhaps the only thing keeping the Democratic supermajority in check in California is the state’s Supreme Court, suggests a recent article in the Wall Street Journal.

RALEIGH, N.C. (Legal Newsline) – With less than one month remaining before Election Day, candidates for the North Carolina Supreme Court have booked more than $1 million worth of TV airtime for campaign ads in the four contested races.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (Legal Newsline) – Campaign attack ads accusing judicial figures of being soft on crime influence their decisions, according to new research sponsored by the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (Legal Newsline) – On Monday, a day before Election Day, a federal judge issued a consent decree allowing resubmitted absentee ballots to be counted in the race for House District 35.